The Development of Syntactic and Semantic Patterns in Child African American English

在国家科学基金会的支持下，Lisa Green博士将进行为期三年的非裔美国人英语（AAE）儿童发展研究。AAE在句法和语义（如时态/体和否定）上不同于主流英语。例如，AAE可以用方面标记BE表示习惯意义（例如，“这些打印机每分钟打印10页”意味着打印机通常每分钟打印10页）。该项目旨在：(1)在3-5岁的aae使用者中识别这种模式；(2)分析模式；(3)将其与同一地理区域的青少年和成人的语言特征进行比较。该项目将依赖于几种类型的数据。使用自然话语、引自话语和语法判断来测试儿童AAE语法的发展，特别关注时态/体、否定、存在主义标记和问题系统。此外，孩子们还会通过表演句子的意义来展示他们对相关结构的理解。这项研究意义重大，因为它确定了儿童AAE使用者做出与成人语法相关的微妙意义区分的发展模式和阶段。该项目的研究结果可能适用于沟通障碍和教育。沟通障碍研究人员在设计评估语言发展的工具时，已经意识到准确描述AAE的重要性。本研究中的描述对他们来说是可以理解的。这项研究也可能有助于开发诸如“启智计划”之类的课程。它还可能影响小学的语言和识字教学方法。本研究的数据描述和分析结果也将有助于设计与AAE模式的使用和阅读成绩有关的心理语言学测试。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Lisa Green will conduct three years of research on children's development of African American English (AAE). AAE differs from mainstream English in its syntax and semantics (e.g., tense/aspect and negation). For instance, AAE can indicate habitual meaning with the aspectual marker BE (e.g., "These printers be printing ten pages per minute" meaning that the printers usually print ten pages per minute). This project aims to: (1) identify such patterns in 3-5 year-old AAE-speakers; (2) analyze the patterns; and (3) compare them to those characterizing the speech of adolescents and adults in the same geographical area. The project will rely on several types of data. Naturalistic speech, elicited utterances, and grammaticality judgments will be used to test children's development of AAE grammar, with particular focus on tense/aspect, negation, existential marking, and question systems. In addition, children will show their understanding of relevant constructions by acting out the meanings of sentences. This research is significant because it identifies developmental patterns and the stages at which child AAE speakers make the subtle meaning distinctions that are associated with the adult grammar. The project's findings may apply to both communication disorders and education. Researchers in communication disorders have realized the importance of accurate descriptions of AAE as they design tools to assess language development. The descriptions in this research will be accessible to them. This research may also help in developing curricula in programs such as Head Start. It might also affect methods of language and literacy instruction in grade school. The data description and analyses resulting from this research will also be useful in devising psycholinguistic tests relating the use of AAE patterns and reading achievement.